Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy your time with your family. I’m looking forward to some time to relax and just focus on my kids. My husband and I just celebrated our 18th anniversary, so we will have some time together as well. Check back for the next post on November 29. Blessings!

I’m amazed by the Roanoke Colony Mystery. I must have been sleeping during history class, because I’ve learned of Roanoke in recent years. Jane Yolen writes eloquently. She collaborates with her daughter, Heidi, in creating a children’s book on the known history surrounding the Roanoke Colony. The five most popular theories are shared in the conclusion. The book is called Roanoke The Lost Colony: An Unsolved Mystery From History.

The authors begin the book iwth a young girl, who wants to be a detective. She collects the information in her notebook. The story of Roanoke is shared in a narrative nonfiction format. Factual clues are written on a notebook inlaid in the illustration. vocabulary words are sprinkled on the text’s off sides. History comes alive.

Lisa Wheeler has created a fun Thanksgiving comedy in her book, Turk and Runt. Turk is a grand turkey, “the biggest, strongest, and most graceful bird on Wishbone Farm.” Turk’s parents have big aspirations for him. Turk is his mother’s dancer and his father’s football player. The family does not notice the Thanksgiving clues, except for Runt. Runt knows that his brother will be chosen for someone’s feast – “But no one ever listened to Runt.”

When Madame Waddelle and Coach giblet come to Wishbone Farm, Turk’s parents believe Turk finally has his big chance. Turk performs brilliantly and becomes the pick for their dinner. runt is keen and springs into action, coughing and wheezing uncontrollably. Turk is saved, as the customers flee. Still no one realizes that Runt has saved Turk once again.

In the end, when Runt is chosen for someone’s feast, Turk realizes that Runt has been right all along. He springs into action and saves his little brother. Enjoy read aloud.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Turk and Runt:

Voice – “Look at zee size of zose drumsticks!”

Illustrations – character feelings are shown through the turkey characters’ faces

Inference

Repeating Structure – father praises Turk; mother praises Turk’ runt gives a warning that no one pays attention to

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington is a first person narrative, told through a young girl’s viewpoint. The young girl is not named in the story. For reference sake, I’m naming her Queenie. Queenie loves to chase chickens. She shares her chicken chasing techniques with you. As the reader, I’m amused at her detailed plans from cornbread sprinkling to hiding behind the wheelbarrow. Your students will laugh at the chicken-chasing banter between Queenie and her favorite prize chicken.

The illustrations are a unique combination of cloth cutout shapes placed on a painted scene. Shelley Jackson weaves the tan, golden, and brown hues into a patchwork of scenes.

I was amazed at the craft that has been used throughout the text. I also love the voice shared through Queenie. Listen.

“I stand so still even my shadow gets bored and starts to walk off.”

Savorings for reading and in writing for The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County:

Similes – “I make myself as still as sunlight.”

Punctuation Combination – bold words with exclamation point; comma in a series, two m dashes, a colon, quotation marks around onomatopoeia, and ellipse

Children often ask the never-ending question, “Can I have a dog?” “May I have a cat, please?” My own children ask the questions even though they can predict the answer. Daniel Postgate brings a unique and comical twist to this family’s new pet in the book, The Snagglegrollop.

Sam is no different. He asks his mother and father for a dog. Receiving the standard, ‘No’, Sam asks for a “snagglegrollop” , a made up creature. Thinking the creature is imaginary, his parents agree. Boy, is dad ever surprised when Sam brings one home.

“What on earth is that?” exclaimed Dad. “It’s a Snagglegrollop,” said Sam. “You said I could have one, remember?”

“Yes, bu t… no, but … but — oh golly,” spluttered Dad.

Sam starts with his responsibilities of caring for a Snagglegrollop – giving it a bath, brushing his teeth, feeding him. Sam shares his idea with Emily. Emily later appears with a ‘quibblesnuff.”

The story has several deeper themes – friendship, self-confidence, responsibility. Younger children will wonder about where the creatures came from or why they leave.

Nick Price throws in another silent thread woven into the story. At the end of the story, Sam reasks his dad for a dog. At the fence, the dog is looking through the gate. When I turned the page, I noticed a picture on the book jacket of Sam holding the dog. (It makes me wonder if Sam’s parents reconsider the request for a dog.) It sparked a curiosity. I realized I had seen the dog on a couple of other pages. So, I began rereading the illustrations. I found the dog hidden in most of the scenes.

I read this story to a first grade class this past week. They gave me two thumbs up. they asked questions and wondered why events happened. When I showed the dog illustrations, their eyes lit up. They loved it!

“My father used to tell me that there are two kinds of people in the world: the takers and the givers. The takers sometimes eat better, he would say, but the givers always sleep better.“

Marlo continues to share that we have many reasons to be thankful. She enjoys the holiday of Thanksgiving with memories from her childhood. She encourages her readers to be thankful throughout the year. Her focus is for people to be givers. A sincere smile is giving.

The children in our classroom need to be givers. We have a responsibility to build a community of learners in our classroom. By having the children hear the stories of thankfulness, we can help them to be more aware of the needs of others around them, building the community of learning with it.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Thanks & Giving All Year Long:

Short Stories – stories that focus on small moments with important events

Variety of Genres – songs, letters, fables, poems, comics, narrative

Letter Writing – tow great examples of letters written to a sibling, remembering a special time and building them up

Purpose – the author wrote the book with the intention of building others up and raising funds for research

Community Building

Health – explore St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital website and learn about children that are their age